Picture Credit: IPL
The IPL 2021 Final kicked off on Friday but it wasn't actually the start for Kolkata Knight Riders that they were hoping for. After Dinesh Karthik missed an early stumping opportunity to dismiss Faf du Plessis, the CSK openers played some glorious shots to give their side a solid start on the big day. The Yellow Army went on to score 50/0 in 6 overs, wrapping up an impressive powerplay for them.
This was notably the 6th instance this season when Eoin Morgan's side failed to pick a wicket in the powerplay. However, things turned from bad to worse for the Men in Purple as they had to see one of their best fielders in the side limp off after suffering an injury.
Big blow for KKR in IPL 2021 Final
After Faf du Plessis nudged the ball down the leg side, Rahul Tripathi, who was fielding at deep mid-wicket, raced towards the ball to prevent the batsmen from taking a double. In the process, the 30-year-old seemed to have injured himself in the process, presumably pulling a muscle.
He looked in a lot of pain and was eventually helped to go off the field as physios were seen attending him on the sideline. Tripathi was replaced by Kamlesh Nagarkoti as a result, who took his place at deep mid-wicket.
Watch the video here:
The KKR fans would be hoping that for Tripathi's injury to not be that serious as the star of Qualifier 2 would be needed to bat with CSK looking set to post a huge total in Dubai.